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¹ University of Basrah, College of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Basrah, Iraq DOI : 10.4194/trjfas.2010.0315 Viewed : 4878 - Downloaded : 6749 This work provides a comparative data of α-amylase activity in the gut extract of three Cyprinid species inhabiting Garma River (Basrah Governorate, Southern Iraq). Those species are bunny Barbus sharpeyi (herbivorous), common carp Cyprinus carpio (omnivorous), and shilik Aspius vorax (carnivorous). The study also investigate the discrepancy between the activity of the enzyme in common carp collected from Garma river with those reared in ponds. The specific activity of α- amylase has apparently been influenced by feeding habits of the three studied species. Values of α-amylase activity averaged 1.84 U mg^-1 protein in the herbivorous bunny. It showed a significant (P<0.01) superiority to that of the omnivorous common carp (1.33 U mg^-1 protein) which, in turn, showed a significant (P<0.01) superiority to that of the carnivorous shilik (0.76 U mg^-1 protein). Omnivorous common carp which was collected from fish ponds showed a significantly (P<0.01) higher value of α-amylase specific activity which reached 1.92 U mg^-1 protein when compared with the value recorded in common carp collected from Garma River which reached 1.33 U mg^-1 protein. Keywords : Cyprinid fish, feeding habits, α-amylase activity